Description
Cindy Blackstock is Gitxsan and is honoured to serve as the Executive Director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society and as a professor at McGill University's School of Social Work. She has over 40 years of experience working in child and family services and Indigenous children's rights. A recipient of the 2023 World Children's Prize voted on by millions of children around the world, Cindy is honoured to work with First Nations colleagues on a successful human rights challenge to Canada's inequitable provision of child and family services and failure to implement Jordan's Principle. This hard-fought litigation has resulted in hundreds of thousands of services being provided to First Nations children, youth, and families. Cindy is frequently sighted in the company of the Caring Society's reconciliation Ambearrister, Spirit Bear, engaging children in meaningful actions to implement the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action.
Spotted Fawn Productions (SFP) is an Indigenous-owned and led production company centred in animation and moving image art. SFP was founded in 2010 by owner, producer, and Emmy-nominated director Amanda Strong (Michif/Red River Métis - Manitoba Métis Federation). The studio's award?winning productions specialize in the handmade aesthetics of stop motion animation to generate films, books, exhibits, and interactive works that have been seen worldwide, celebrating Indigenous content on screens and beyond.
Spirit Bear's ABCs invites pre-schoolers to learn the alphabet alongside Spirit Bear-a Bear who stands up for the rights of First Nations kids. From A to Z, each letter introduces words and concepts from Spirit Bear's award-winning series for older children in engaging and age-appropriate ways, while supporting the development of foundational literacy skills and strengthening letter recognition.
Spirit Bear is loved worldwide as a symbol of reconciliation and the power of children to make a difference. This delightful book welcomes young children into Spirit Bear's world, where they can learn, grow, and join kids everywhere in discovering that just because they're small doesn't mean they can't stand tall! Audience: Grades Preschool--1/4-6 years.